Request for Proposal (RFP) for Outcome Evaluation
Project Title: Enhancing Foundational, Grade Appropriate and Higher Order Thinking Skills for Grade 4 and 5 Students in Kurukshetra, Haryana
1. Context
Established in 2015, Language and Learning Foundation (LLF) is a systems-focused, impact-driven organization dedicated to improving the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) outcomes of children in government primary schools by working at scale in close collaboration with state and national governments.
According to the World Bank 2021 report, 55% of children in India are unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10 ('Learning Poverty'). LLF is committed to reducing learning poverty to 25% by 2030 in collaboration with government and other partners across 10 states in India.
This mission requires a large-scale transformation in the teaching and learning processes with a strong focus on the inclusion of children's home or familiar languages in classrooms. We envision that all children will have strong foundational skills and abilities of literacy and numeracy, including higher-order thinking and reasoning, in their home and additional languages.
2. Project Background and Rationale
2.1. Context and Vision: Several state and national level tests which are conducted at the end of grade III reveals severe gaps in the learning levels. They highlight that with such learning levels the progress of students for the grade appropriate competencies and learning would be halted. ASER 2024 data reveals that only 23.4% of Grade 3 children are able to read a Grade 2-level text. This means nearly three out of every four children entering Grade 4 are unable to read grade 2-level text, highlighting the urgent need to address learning deficits in Grades 4 and 5. Besides, as students progress their higher order thinking skills are in demand and required for better education and becoming conscientious learners as well as thinkers.
LLF in consideration of this aims to provide an intervention in the grades 4 & 5 for students to progress towards attainment of grade appropriate competencies, foundational competencies as well as application of higher order thinking skills such as problem solving and critical thinking. This is fully aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 mandate to shift pedagogy away from rote memorization toward exercise of thinking skills. By nurturing these critical skills early on, the children are empowered to become thoughtful, independent learners prepared for future challenges.
3. Project Details
LLF has developed an additional learning material in the form of Handbook (Manan Manch) for developing foundational skills, grade-appropriate skills as well as higher order thinking skills among the students of grade 4 & 5. It is to note that the effectiveness of formulated materials will be seen in combination with the appropriate capacity building of teachers as well as mentoring.
This would be implemented in 200 schools of Kurukshetra. The school selection is guided by pre-determined criteria – availability of minimum 5-7 students in each grade, minimum 3 teachers per school ensuring existence of monograde teaching, and positive attitude among teachers. The full intervention for implementation is planned from July 2026 onwards to March 2028. One component of the intervention which is the remedial component, will be implemented by mid of April 2026.
The idea behind this project is to instill skills relating to critical thinking, problem-solving, oral expression and academic language among students using additional inputs since textbooks might have limited scope for developing these skills.
Manan Manch, will broadly cover topics/ activities that promote these skills, and provide opportunity for students to express their views, thoughts and opinions with reason. It is also intended to work on developing student’s vocabulary and word repository thus enabling them to understand the technical words and academic language beyond the FLN as well as help them in their interactions.
Similarly, problem solving, procedural fluency and mental maths are important aspects of mathematics teaching. Strengthening these skills will be targeted through assigning project work, initiating discussion, holding competition, collecting information, interviewing people, speaking/ oration, organizing small events, developing and publishing newspapers.
The Intervention is planned across 200 schools of Kurushetra District. Its key strategies include:
- Structured instructional design with new materials
- Professional development of teachers and mentors
- Additional materials for children
- Classroom observation and mentoring to teacher
- Review and monitoring
Proposal Submission Requirements
- Organizational Credentials: Summary of the firm's relevant experience and annual turnover for the last three financial years.
- CVs of Key Personnel.
- Detailed Technical Proposal: Must include the sample size calculation, detailed methodology for cohort selection, and a plan for assessing data quality.
- Detailed Financial Proposal: A comprehensive budget breakdown (staff costs, travel, overhead, field operations, and materials).
- Project Timeline: A detailed Gantt chart showing timelines and dependencies for all activities, including tool development, pilot testing, and the mandatory April 2026 baseline collection.
There will be an endline for this project in March 2028 and we will reach out to agencies for separate proposals.
For queries, you may contact at 9810553471.
For detailed information, please check the complete version of the RFP attached below.